Any ASX drivers out there? What's your view on the car and whether the current promo that ends 31 March is a good deal. Thanks for your comments.
Looking at picking up an SUV, not too fussed about brand or specs.
Mitsubishi ASX 2WD LS Auto - $25,000 Driveway
JetLi on 03/03/2016 - 11:51
Last edited 03/03/2016 - 11:52
Last edited 03/03/2016 - 11:52
Comments
OK thanks for the input, haven't test driven any SUVs yet, just browsing around as all the dealers seem to be coming out with some offers for the month of March.
My only concern with the ASX and the CX3 is they are kinda on the small size, so might go one model higher. But generally there seems to be quite good feedback for the ASX, no doubt the CX3 is a good car being the winner of the best small SUV for the Australia's Best Cars 2015 awards.
That whole category is based on the mid-size sedan equivalent basically. Trax is jacked up Cruze, ASX is jacked up Lancer, etc etc.
How many adults/kids do you need to fit?
2 adults 1 toddler for now… in the future, max 2 kids.
2 Baby seats will be the kicker. This is coming from a) A car salesman, and b) A family of 4 with 2 kids under 4yo.
It's very easy to fit a baby seat in the back middle seat of any car and still have room up front. Start putting seats behind front passengers and you have to consider the sizing.
I know there's a big market in SUV these days, but with a growing family I would seriously recommend looking at a used (likely ex-rental) VF SV6 Commodore for that $25-30k mark. Sure, it's going to average around 9-10L/100km, but that won't be that far off the SUV 'real-world' average. Room for pram, room for car seats, safe with all the features (F&R sensors, rear camera, blind spot monitors etc). Hell, the remote start is amazing, get the air-con going while you're loading up the kids or sitting there talking, the whole time the car can stay locked up! Especially in Darwin that would be handy!
Now you're in a completely different state to me so I gain nothing by recommending the above. But as I said, for a growing family it's definitely something to consider!
That sounds like a good idea, wouldn't mind a sedan, wifey keen on a SUV because everyone else has one, hard to talk her out of it unfortunately.
Yeah I know, and mine drives a Territory lol (though I got it for trade price).
Rather than pushing the sedan vs SUV notion, show her what the car has that the SUVs don't (that's why I mentioned what I did, some people think a Commodore is huge and hard to park etc). The VF was a really good leap from the VE and is a really good family car.
There is also the wagon model available which is built off the sedan chassis, so it's the same size, just an easier use of the back-end (throw the pram in easier etc).
Have a look and see if it's within budget, I don't know how your used car pricing is in NT :)
People seem to be keen on the Subaru Outback these days, maybe that's a good in between compromise?
CX3 is a bit different, it's a jacked up M2 but with the M3 engine.
Could be, unfortunately if you're looking second-hand (just with that price range on the ASX), Subaru don't put too many features in their cars. So while it may be a good size, it may not offer much for the $$s.
(I've driven a 2013 WRX STi, and besides that insane power/handling combo, it didn't offer the driver much in the cabin)
Bingo. Old design, old tech for the category.
Also, ex-hire cars have flooded the market and brought the resale price right down. Don't be surprised if trade-in is like $12k a year down the track.
Good to know this is a common theme, thanks.
Does this also apply to the Outlander? - Old design, old tech?
Haven't driven the new one, old one was around for a while.
Best advice is to make sure you drive a CVT car… they're weird things if you've never driven one. Depending on driving style, can also be rather thirsty.
@Spackbace: Just wanted to pick your brain again being a salesman, am I better off waiting til the coming June (i.e. eofy sales) to buy a new car? Thanks
Probably not, industry is fairly quiet right now, there's sales around. What's on your list?
@Spackbace: Nothing concrete yet, trying to stay open minded, need to just start test driving some cars and go from there.
just start test driving some cars
Can I suggest you size them up, price them up before driving? Make sure they're comfortable first, that you like how they look, have enough space etc. Narrow it down to a top 3-4, then drive them back-to-back on 1 day. That's gonna be the best way to compare.
Also, it's gonna be the best way to get the best service. Yes, that sounds bad, but it's basically true. If you tell the salesperson you're looking at a variety of cars, but want to drive one, it's not a good situation for that salesperson.
I know what you're gonna say next, I need to drive it to see if it's on the list or not. Sure, you do, but it's not like you're going down the 1/4 mile, or going around a track. Find out what you do and don't like about a car before driving it. You'd be surprised how much you'll look at the car, and the features and the price and just rule it out before driving it. Like 'Oh it won't fit the pram or car seats' or 'damn this seat is uncomfortable, I don't need to sit in it for 10+mins to know I won't like it".
Sound reasonable? :)
@Spackbace: Yeah I understand, I would only ask for a test drive if after a visual inspection of the car, interior space/boot space, it met our requirements and I was pretty keen on it, I'm not going to be a tyre kicker. I'm kind of leaning towards the X-trail or Outlander, got a tendency towards Japanese cars, no real basis for that though.
New X-Trail has a lot going for it, but it is expensive from what I've seen, but I haven't driven it lol
getting one for my mum, 24K drive away, white, QLD. 16 plate. Also i could of gotten a silver or a blue for 24K in BNE for 24K, blue was 15 plate, silver was 16 plate, but white was what she wanted.
if you had decided to buy, you should have done it last week. 2015 model had free auto + $1000 off which can be reduced from the Driveway…
Anyway this is not a bad car if you are planning to keep it for a while. Its simple and practical. But as Spackbace mentioned, the resale would take a huge dent if you were to sell it in 1-2 years time.
nah, definitely wouldn't sell in 1-2 yrs
spend half a day fingering
Interesting recommendation!
I have to remember to do this when I go on test drives, haha
ASX is reliable, for its age good looking.
A couple of things the ASX engine in the petrol version it is a "4B11" which is the same engine that has been in the Mitsubishi Lancer since 2007. The Mazda, Hyundai and Nissan engines are much newer and are more efficient so they deliver better economy.
There is alot of cabin noise in the ASX from personal experience, Mitsubishi saves money on noise damping and cheaper tyres.Transmission: Mitsubishi CVT,they're jerky, and make a harsh sound, but they're reliable.
A good example of a CVT is the Suburu XV similar sized car and is much more refined.Interiors are full of hard plastics.
In 2015 they did make some tweaks to the suspension to improve the ride and handling.
Just keep in mind though other than, a touch screen, a reversing camera , a few minor face lifts and new wheels it is essentially the same as when it came out in 2010.
Thanks for the useful info!
Not sure what the facination is with suvs, use more fuel, not much more room then the comparitive hatch or sedan model, handle worse, harder to park, cant tow much better then a sedan, most base models poor at basic off road, tyres more expensive then sedan, less efficient so more pollution.
Having one cos status, even though its not as practical as a hatch, sedan or wagon is silly.
Please educate me if im wrong.
Mostly agree, a wagon would be most practical personally, however I do like the additional height an SUV offers for getting in and out of the car, especially with kids.
Have a look at this if your wife needs more convincing about suv.
http://autoexpert.com.au/buying-a-car/should-i-buy-a-small-s…The guy that runs this website is a qualified engineer and an independent motoring journalist.
He can get you in contact with a brokers to possibly get you a better price.
He has repeatedly stated he doesn't get money from the broker, I leave it up to you if you believe him or not.
Thanks for the link, an interesting read.
@Cheap Charlie: Based on feedback to date (with minimal discussion with wife) is I will most probably skip the small SUV market, think in the long run I'd be better going for at least an X-trail/Outlander/RAV4 size wise. Money is not really an issue between small vs med SUV. Aside from that, most likely will go with a SUV over a wagon/large sedan just to keep the wife happy, also open to Hyundai/Kia (wife is not fussed about the manufacturer) but I have a tendency to go with a Japanese manufacturer, but that's not based on anything technical.
Long time lurker here, first post but I literally visit this site every day.
Anyway, I thought I'd finally chime in.
I'd recommend looking into the Nissan Qashqai - Good looking car, good size (small SUV category but physical Size is closer to medium) and good value considering what you're getting.
When I was looking to buy a 'family' car I was tossing up between this and an Audi A3 sedan, which I eventually bought and probably would have got this if it had a more powerful engine - I was coming from a Nissan V35 coupe, so was using to having a bit more grunt under the bonnet.
Good luck with your search!
Thanks for chiming in :) good points!
OP i haven't owned a Nissan so i can only comment on what my brother in law has told me working for a Nissan dealership as a service manager. Nissan in Australia has made it much, much harder for dealerships to claim warranty for customers. All in the name of saving money.
They're not as bad as say protons,Chery etc with warranty claims but keep it mind.
Thanks for the input! I got a quote for $32,490 driveaway for the X-trail 2016 base model, wasn't exactly thrilled with the price.
Yeah was surprised when the guy quoted me the prices, also $39,900 for the ST-L model which seemed high also. Might wait if there are some better deals heading into the EOFY.
OP, what did you end up buying?
OPs never follows up their posts
not an ASX driver
but this is quite a dated vehicle on an old platform
i know you'll receive a million different opinions
mine is - look elsewhere
what have you driven so far?
what about Mazda CX-3, 5-seat SUV, Neo, 2.0L I4 Petrol FWD, 6-speed auto for $23k